Apparatus and method for fabricating laminated trim panels



April 1 9 e. R. CUNNINGTON $3 8 APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FABRICATING LAMINATED TRIM PANELS Filed June 17. 193'! 2 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTOR. El. 4. M 5 .26 fieorye 7 ,wm/nyfofl April 1, 1941. G. R. CUNNINGTON APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FABRICATING LAMINATED TRIM PANELS Filed June 17, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 F61NVENIOR7.L

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A] TORNEYS Patented Apr. 1, 1941 APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FABRICAT- ING LAIVIINATED TRIM PANELS George R. Cunnington, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Woodall Industries Incorporated,

Detroit,

Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application June 17, 1937, Serial No. 148,695

14 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in trim panels and to an improved process for fabricating such panels and apparatus for carrying out such process.

An object is to provide an improved upholstery trim panel such as is suitable for the interior trim of automobile bodies.

A further object is to provide an improved padded trim panel wherein the tufted upholstered design is produced by compacting adhesion of the wadding along a determined line outlining in intaglio padded portions of the panel and wherein the compacted line is produced by adhesion-of the wadding together along such line and adhesion of the wadding to the foundation board and adhesion of the trim cloth or other material to the foundation board through the compacted line of wadding the same being produced in a novel improved manner.

A further object is to provide a panel structure wherein as a sub-assembly the wadding may be saturated with suitable adhesive along a determined line, which line generally outlines the padded design which is to be given to such wadding in the fabrication of the panel. Such wadd ng so saturated may thereafter be compacted either alone or combined with a layer of trim cloth along its line of saturation imparting features of my invention will more fully appear from the following description, appended claims,

and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a cross section through apparatus diagrammatically illustrating the initial step in the carrying out of my improved process,

Fig. 2 is 'a cross sectional view through apparatus diagrammatically illustrating the second step in the carrying out of my improved process,

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view through apparatus diagrammatically illustrating the third step in the carrying out of my improved process.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view through the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 plus additional apparatus necessary to the carrying out of the I PI'OOBSS,

Fig. 5 is a perspective through a sheet of wadding prior to saturation,

Fig. 6 is a perspective through the same sheet following saturation along the intended line of intaglio design,

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view through wadding following the imparting of the design thereto and showing the wadding as arranged between a foundation board and a sheet of covering material and taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 8, and

Fig. 8 is a plan of the fragment of the panel embodying structure of the invention disclosed.

Diiferent methods of imparting embossed designs to a covered trim panel by compacting and adhesion of wadding between supporting foundation board and covering trim cloth have been heretofore disclosed as an application Serial No. 133,291, filed March 27, 1937, and other copending applications of such applicant.

The instant application, however, involves a different process of accomplishing this object and includes the step in the fabrication of the panel of saturating the wadding along the intended line of intaglio design prior to the compacting of the wadding along said line to produce such design. The wadding may therefore be prepared in advance in sheets saturated along the designed lines and these sheets may thereafter be used when desired to complete the fabrication of the panel assemblies. Wadding of any suitable character may be employed.

This wadding, because of its loose fluify character, is ordinarily highly absorptive of fluid and various types of fibrous materials are used in such wadding. The fibers may be felted together to produce a very loose felted sheet or the wadding may consist of a plurality of thin tissue like plies of cellulose materials. In whatever form the wadding is provided the first step in the process here disclosed is the saturation of such wadding along a line intended to outline the proposed intaglio design which is to be given to the wadding in the fabrication of the panel.

Throughout the drawings the sheet of wadding is indicated as l0; In Figs. 1 to 4 such a sheet is shown as supported upon a table l2. This table superposes the vat M which may be filled with fluid thermoplastic adhesive l6 which is maintained in a fluid state. Any suitable adhesive may be employed. Latex may be used. Another suitable adhesive is a hydrogen chlori ding is first placed upon the table l2.

elements 20 are brought down thereupon as nated rubber compound'which ismarketed under the name Marbond which may be obtained in fluid form. The particular adhesive forms no part of the invention except that it must be adaptable to carry out the process here set forth. superimposing the table l2 and the sheet of wadding is a pressure structure which carries wall or dam elements that outline the intaglio design which is to be given to the wadding. This structure comprises a plate It. The dam elements are indicated as 20. Included with this structure is a suction device 22 which may be connected up with any suitable source of suction and provided with suitable controls. Plate 18 is adapted to be raised and lowered by mechanism not here shown but which is well understood. It might even be manually raised and lowered. When the plate is lowered toward the wadding the dam elements 26 compact the wad- I ding along the lines illustrated.

Ifa design such as is shown in Fig. 8 was intended the dam elements would compact the wadding along the boundary of such design and would be so shaped as to do this, Plate i2 is provided with openings or slots 2% corresponding to the space between the dam elements 28 as shown in Figs 1 and 2 so that when the apparatus is in the position shown in Fig, 2 the wadding is compacted along the margin of the open- 1 shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

This metering device or shallow pan like struc- 'ture is adapted to carry a measured quantity of fluid so as to bring the same into contact with one surface of the wadding. The measured quantity of fluid carried is that which is necessary to saturate the wadding along the intended line.

to the amount of fluid necessary to accomplish j the object intended.

The wadding is therefore exposed merely In carrying out the process the sheet of wad- The dam shown in Fig. 2. The metering device 26 is then raised from its submerged position and filled with fluid raised to the under surface of the wadding as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. A certain amount ofliquid will be then picked up and absorbed by the wadding but with wadding of substantial thickness this absorption would not under normal conditions continue throughout its entire thickness and there is applied to the opposite surface of the wadding a suction or vacuum which draws the liquid adhesive entirely through the thickness of the wadding so that the wadding is saturated thereby as shown in Fig. 6.

eral the intended'line of debossment or the intaglio design that is to be applied.

' The structure shown in Fig. 6 constitutes a sub-assembly in the fabrication of the panel. The wadding following saturation may be retained until .it is desired for use in the panel fabrication. When it is desired for such use it is placed in a die stamping machine which applies pressure thereto along the line of saturation 30. In this die stamping operation the sheet of wadding may be disposed upon a foundation board 32 and may be covered with a sheet of fabric 34 and in the die stamping operation the adhesive which is of a thermoplastic character is fused and not only secures the wadding permanently compacted together but secures the wadding to the foundation board along the line of the saturation of the'wadding and secures the trim cloth to the wadding along its line of saturation so that the panel is complete. The trim cloth may be brought over the outer margin of the wedding onto the back of the foundation board in the usual manner so as to finish ofi the panel and the wadding may be saturated 0 along a line outlining any intended design for debossment.

What I claim is:

1. That method of imparting an intaglio de-- sign to a sheet of wadding comprising presentarea defining an area of the wadding to which adhesive is not presented and subjecting the opposite surface of said selected area-t0 suction suflicient to draw the adhesive through the wadding throughout said selected area, and thereafter compacting said wadding throughout said adhesive saturated selected area.

2. That method of imparting an intaglio design to a sheet of waddingcomprising compacting said wadding along spaced apart lines out- I lining said intaglio design, presenting fluid adhesive to one surface of the wadding between said compacted lines and subjecting the opposite surface of the wadding between said compacted lines to suction operable to draw the fluid adhesive presented to the wadding through the wadding between said compacted linesand thereafter compacting said wadding along said saturated lines to produce a permanent intaglio design therealong.

3. That method of imparting an intaglio design to a sheet of absorbent wadding comprisarea exposed to'the adhesive preventing the This suction draws the metered supply of ad sheet of wadding III shown in Fig. 6 it will appear that there are two areas II spaced apart from each other which areas are saturated withadhesive. This saturated area outlines in genfluid adhesive from flowing from the selected area exposed to the adhesive into the adjacent area not exposed to adhesive and subjecting the corresponding opposed surface of said selected area to suction sufficient to draw said measured quantity of adhesive through the wadding satmating the same and thereafter compacting said wadding along said saturated areas producing an intaglio design therein.

4. That .method of imparting'an intaglio design to a sheet of absorbent wadding comprising saturating the wadding along the line of intended intaglio design with fluid adhesive while maintainingthe wadding compacted along the boundary of the area being saturated preventing the flow of adhesive from said area beyond said boundary and thereafter compacting the wadding along said saturated line to produce the intended intaglio design.

5. That method of imparting an intaglio design to a sheet of absorbent wadding comprising presenting a measured quantity of fluid adhesive to one surface of a selected area outlining said intended design while maintaining the wadding compacted along and beyond the boundary of said selected area preventing the flow of adhesive through said wadding beyond the boundary of said selected area, applying suction to the opposite surface of said selected area drawing said \measured quantity of adhesive through the wadding saturating the same and thereafter compacting said wadding through said selected saturated area.

6. That method of imparting an "intaglio design to absorbent wadding including the step of presenting fluid adhesive to that area of wadding intended to receive said design, saturating said area therewith while preventing the flow of adhesive into adjacent areas of wadding by compacting said wadding along the boundary of said area.

7. Apparatus of the character described comprising a fluid adhesive filled vessel, means for supporting a layer of absorbent wadding superimposing said vessel, means operable to compact the wadding along the margin of said vessel, and I means for applying suction to the correspondingly opposed surface of the wadding to that exposed to the fluid adhesive contents of the vessel.

8. In combination, a tank for fluid adhesive, a metering device adapted to hold a quantity of adhesive and adapted to be dropped into said tank and elevated therefrom to the top of thc tank, means for supporting a sheet of absorbent wadding along the top of said tank resting upon said metering device exposed to the fluid contents thereof, means arranged on opposite sides of the wadding along the margin of the metering device adapted to compact the wadding, and means for subjecting that portion of the wadding correspondingly opposite the fluid filled metering device to suction sufllcient to draw fluid adhesive therethrough.

9. Those steps in the method of producing an intaglio design in a sheet of compressible absorbent material comprising compacting said sheet of material along a'line outlining the desired intaglio design, exposing one surface of that area of the sheet defined by said intaglio design to a predetermined quantity of a relatively viscous liquid adhesive and subjecting the opposite surface of said area exposed to said liquid adhesive to suction suflicient to draw the liquid adhesive through the absorbent material throughout said area.

10. That method of obtaining permanent adhesion along a compacted line in a sheet of absorbent material comprising compacting such sheet along a boundary of said intended compacted line to prevent the flow of fluid adhesive from within the area defined by said compacted boundary to the area beyond said boundary and saturating the area within said boundary with fluid adhesive while retaining said boundary compacted and thereafter compacting the line area within said boundary.

11. That method of defining by a compacted line an uncompacted area of absorbent sheet material comprising compressing said sheet along the two opposed boundaries of said intended com-- pacted line suflicient to prevent the flow of fluid adhesive from the area between said two compacted boundaries to the uncompacted area of the sheet beyond said boundaries and saturating that area of the sheet between said two compacted boundaries while retaining said boundaries compacted and thereafter compacting said 'sheet along said saturated line.

12. The invention defined in claim 4 characterized in that the wadding is first compacted along the boundary of the area to be saturated and thereafter fluid adhesive is presented to such area and caused to saturate the same.

13. In combination, means for supporting a sheet of absorbent material, means for presenting fluid adhesive to one surface of a selected area of said sheet, means for exerting a pressure against the sheetalong the boundary of said selected area, and means for applying suction to the opposite surface of the sheet throughout the selected area.

14. In combination, means for supporting a sheet of absorbent material, means for presenting fluid adhesive to one surface of a selected area of said sheet, spaced apart pressure members adapted to engage the opposite surface of the sheet to compact the same along the boundary of said selected area, and suction means com municating with the space between said spaced apart pressure members to apply suction to the sheet.

GEORGE R. CUNNINGTON. 

